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Introduction

textRequest is an inbound service that allows customers to initiate an SMS to a short code number to trigger an event or request or submit information. Each request type has a predefined keyword that the customer must include in the request message for the system to identify which service the request is intended for. Receipt of a valid keyword from a registered customer will initiate the requested process and respond to the customer accordingly. The formatting of responses is generated from templates which can be static or dynamic.

An example of a typical request would be to trigger an inquiry on a 3rd party system to collect specific data such as account balance or next bill payment due. The data would be retrieved through an interface wit the client's system and inserted in to a dynamic template and sent to the customer.

textRequest provides the customer with a simple and convenient way to retrieve information, trigger events, relay information to agents and opt-in for services without the need to speak to an agent; reducing the volume inbound voice calls allowing agents to deal with more demanding queries.

textRequest as a product is primarily used to enable card customers to request account information, such as balance, available credit and recent transactions. It also forms a core part of textRead, a meter read collection service used by Scottish and Southern Energy, which manages the inbound collection of gas, electric (including day and night readings) via SMS. Utility customers are invited to send their 13-digit customer reference followed by their readings to a short code number. The data is cleaned and validated by Telrock for transfer to the utility's backend management system.

textRequest Demo